Seal-lock.



0. E. SHARP.

SEAL LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED OOLB, 1912.

Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

0.-E. SHARP.

SEAL LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED OUT.9, 1912.

Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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TE SATE PATENT @FFTCE OTIS E. SHARP, OF IVIIDDLEVILLE, MICHIGAN.

SEALIAOOK- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTIS E. SHARP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Middleville, in the county of Barry and State of lifiiichigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Seal-Locks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improved car seal lock, especially adapted for use on railway :t'reight car doors but also adapted for use for sealing the doors of warehouses and other structures, the invention consistingin the construction, combination and arrangement of devices, hereinafter described and claimed.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved device of this character by means Of which a car or like door may be readily sealed when closed and in which the sealing devices employed are extremely cheap, so that expense is greatly lessened.

In the accompanying drawing :F igure 1 is an elevation of a car door seal lock constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 4t is a vertical sectional view or the same on the plane indicated by the line (b(t of Fig. 1.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a base plate 1 which is adapted to be secured to one side of a car or other door by means of suit-able screws which pass through openings 2. This base plate is here shown as provided with an arm 3 which extends from one side thereof, the said arm being provided with a pair of openings 41; through which the arms of a U-shapcd boltor staple device 5 extend. The said staple bolt 5 also passes through the car door and assists in securing the base plate thereon. The said base plate is provided with a pair of openings (37. ()n the base plate is a cover plate 8 which is hollowed on its inner side so that the said cover plate .torms the housing or casing for a pair of intermeshing gears 9-10. The said cover plate is provided with openings (B 7 which are respectively coincident with the OPOIIlUgS 67. One side wall 12 of the cover plate has an inset portion 1?) in the apex of which is a transverse opening l-fi. The opposite side wall 15 of the cover plate has an obliquely arranged outlet opening 16. The cover plate is secured on the base plate by means of rivets or other suitable de- Speeifieation of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 9, 1912.

Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

Serial No. 724,880.

vices .l718. The shank of the rivet 18 passes through the central opening of the gear 10 and also through the openings 7--i" oi the base plate and cover plate, the rivet 17 passing through coincident openings 11.5) with which the base plate and cover plate are provided. The gear 1) is provided with a spindle 21 which has cylindrical journal portions EL-ET for engagement, respectively, with the bearing openings (3-43 and also has an outwardly projecting cross sectionally rectangular shank 23. This shank may be engaged by a crank handle 2-1, the said crank handle having a rectangular opening 25 near its inner end to lit on the said shank and being dctachably held in place thereon by means of a cotter pin 26. Hence, the crank handle may be removed from the shank of the axle or spindle of the gear 9, when desired. In the upper portion oil the casing a pivotally mounted dog 27 which by gravity engages the upper side of the upper gear 9 and permits said gear to turn in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3 and prevents it from turning in the reverse direction, as will be understood.

A hasp 28 is connected by a suitable staple 29 to that side of the door opening or frame against which the door closes and the said hasp has an opening 30 adapted to clear the staple bolt 5 so that the said staple bolt may be projected through the said slot when the hasp is placed with its free end against the arm 3 of the base plate.

A. hasp hook 31 is pivotally connected as at 32 to the outer side of the casing 8 and has a bill or hook portion 33 which is adapted to be passed through the staple bolt and to bear against the outer side of the hasp, the said hook or bill portion being provided near its free end with a transverse opening 3%.

A sealing strip 35, which in practice may be a doubled strip of tin or other sheet metal or may be a doubled wire, is adapted to be passed through the opening 34: and the ends of the sealing strip are then passed through the opening l t and caught between the opposing inter-meshing teeth or spurs of the gears 9-10. The teeth of the gears are triangular, the spaces between the teeth are wider than the teeth and the said gears are slightly spaced apart.

\Vhen the crank handle is turned in the direction indicated by the arrow, the intermeshing gears grasp and bend or crimp the doubled portions of the sealing strip between them and cause the outer ends of the sealing strip to pass outwardly through the 1 gears and, hence, the sealing strip is held for an indefinite length of time firmly gripped by the gears. When it is desired to break the seal, the crank handleis turned farther in the direction indicated by the arrow and its leverage on the gears causes the latter to break the sealing strip, as will be understood.

It will be understood that my improved sealing device is adapted for use in connection with a simple and very inexpensive strip of sealing material and that even an ordinary piece of wire may be employed as a sealing strip, so that the expense of sealing a car is, by my invention, reduced to the minimum.

While I have herein shown and described a preferred form of my invention, I would have it understood that. changes may be made in the form, proportion and construction of the several parts without departing from the spirit of my invention and within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim a A car seal of the class described comprising a casing having openings in opposite sides thereof through which a doubled sealing strip may be passed, a pair of in termeshing gears mounted in the casing, slightly spaced apart and having triangular teeth which are narrower and shorter than the spaces between the teeth to cause the said gears to engage and crimp the doubled sealing strip between them, means to turn. the gears, means to prevent retrograde rotation of the gears, and a securing element to which the sealing strip may be connected. I. V

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OTIS E. SHARP. Witnesses W'ALTER JoHNsoN, SHERMAN SHARP.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

